Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-02-19
DrD BUrLER SAVE wAsHrNeros !,


Breaking Orders To Got Through To Th.
Capital In J 861.
In the meanwhile 1 had learned that
the bridges between Baltimore and
Philadelphia had been burned. and that
it was impossible to get through that |
way. I had also learned that the New
York Seventh regiment was on it's way.
and they came in their holiday clothes.
and l remember that among their BAG.
gage they had 1000 velvet carpet camp
stools that were in the way when we were
moving. / saw it was impossible to get
through Baltimore, but it we could get
to Annapolis and hold that, we should
hold way open, as there was railroad
thence to Washington.
/ was in good deal Of hurry, for I
was not able to tell then, and I have
never been able to tell since, what was
the matter with Jefferson Davis and his
council. They ought to have known
that firing on Sumter was Just as much
war as was the battle Of Gettysburg, and
why he did not do that which every
thinking man supposed he would do is
still mystery. He had 5000 troops
lying around Charleston, where they
had been for months, and thew came
more nearly drilled set of men than
any men in the United State, because to-
gether In the United States since the war
OF 1872 there never had been any regul-
ars OF greater number than those in the
Concord massacre under command at one
time. Now why Jefferson Davis did not
leave 800 men to take care OF Major
Anderson and his Is men-one would
suppose chat 500 would be enough in
reason to shoot the guns of at the fort
nobody ever could tell. As military
man it seems clear; to everJ body looking
back it appears so, and I know it seemed
as clear to me then that what he would
do would be to cut the wires and start on
board the cars that 5000 or 5000 men
and come to Washington and capture it.
II be had done that, by the rules of
diplomacy and the regulations of war
that hold in Europe, he would have made
most important move. For, by these
rules, it is held that whenever an insurg-
emit force, or any other force captures
the capital of country, then the foreign
nations always acknowledge that to be
the government de facto, and if Davis
had captured Washington, as he ought
to have done and could have done. for
there was nobody there but department
clerks TO defend it-and let me say there
we're no women in the departments then,
or it would hsve been pretty we'll defend
ed he would have gained decisive
point. There is no reason why he could
not have captured the city. If he had
done 80 every foreign nation we were in
treaty with would have acknowledged the
confederacy, and the line of war would
have been removed from the Potomac to
the Susquehanna, at least, and he would
have had the archives Of the government,
and what the result would have been no
man can tell.
The imminence of that danger hurried
me. I wanted to get to Washington be-
fore he did, if possible. I, as q military
man, had my orders to go to Washing
ton by rail. Twas taking responsibility.
If 1 stopped or did anything else in the
art Of war, it might have taken my head.
It certainly would have taken my COM
mission. But what to do? had left
Massachusetts en- the evening of the 18th.
II was now $50 on the morning of the
Goth, and had come to the conclusion
and wrote this communication to Gov.
Andrew, which I will read to you. I
gave directions that It should not be
sent until had gone, for, if it fell into
bad hands, people would know where l
had gone, and I did not mean that any
one should know where I had gone till
I got there, Laughter and applique.
4 4 *"I shave sent to know if The
Seventh New York; regiment will go
with me. I propose to march myself at
the hour of o'clock in the morning to
take the regular Bis o'clock train to
Havre de Grace. The citizens of Bal
timore, at large meeting this evening,
denounced the passage of Northern
troops. They have exacted promise
from the president Of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad not to send troops over
that road through Baltimore, so that any
attempt to throw troops into Baltimore
entails march of forty miles and an at
tack upon city of 100000 at the be-
ginning of the march. The only way,
therefore, Of getting communication with
Washington for troops from the North is
over the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, or
from the West. I will under.
take to proceed in marching from Havre
de Grace to Washington. My PROPOSE
lion is to join with Col. Lefferts of the |
Seventh regiment of New York. pro-
pose to take the 1900 troops to Anna
polls, arriving there tomorrow about
o'clock and occupying the capital of
Maryland. have then but to advance
by forced march OF thirty miles to
seach The capital, in accordance with the
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